You Make Loving Easy: A Sapphic Small Town Romance

by Dominique Davis

A hunch was all it took to send Deia Stokes back packing to Peachwood, the hometown she swore never to return to. It was the last thing she expected nor wanted. But after her husband fails to squash her suspicions about him and his attractive trainee, Deia decides they need space. Nevermind that she’s four months pregnant, or can’t remember the last time she answered her mom’s calls, and has no clue what her next move will be.

If her life wasn’t already in turmoil, running into Izzy Barnett, the girl she and her friends picked on in high school, is another kick to the gut. With the memories of how badly she treated Izzy coming back, the guilt is too much. Deia sets out to change her karma by making things right. Too bad Izzy wants nothing to do with her.

But Deia isn’t giving up. Not even when Izzy begins stirring up a deep-seated truth inside of her that she tried to bury. A truth that could cost Deia her marriage, her mom, and the future she thought she wanted.

334 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 5, 2025

About the author

No matter the genre or time, Dominique Davis writes affectionately about unapologetic out-of-the-box women and the people who love them. From a mother-daughter con artist duo to a revenge-driven college student, there’s always something special about her characters, as she believes that all great stories should feature remarkable yet flawed female leads. Writing has been her passion since she could hold a pencil, and nowadays she divides her time between devouring books, fine-tuning manuscripts, and embracing her love for all things pop culture. You can learn more about her by checking out her website and following her on social media.

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review to come - but I was very disappointed with the number of errors in this book.

[Cara Ramsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deia is pregnant when she realizes her husband is cheating on her. She packs her bags and returns home to Peachwood, Georgia, where she grew up. It's also where she turned on someone she loved, Izzy, when she feared she was about to be outed.

Now, 15 years later, and back in Peachwood, she discovers that Izzy is managing a renewal project for her mother's house, because he mother wants to sell and move to someplace smaller.

Deia comes home because she has nowhere else to go, but she's also very in the closet about her bisexuality, mainly because her now deceased father and her mother were both homophobic monsters.

Once home, however, Deia decides to make it up to Izzy for the harm she did so many years ago. Izzy is, of course, distant and unwilling to trust Deia.

But a series of events reminds Izzy that maybe some people can change and that holding onto hate and anger doesn't make anyone happy in the long term.

There's no third act breakup here, just a series of events that bring Deia and Izzy closer and closer, alongside a growing realization that Deia isn't and never was who Izzy thought she was.

This is a delightful gentle romance and I loved it.

The book does have a few editing issues, mainly the wrong word dropped in where it looks like her writing software suggested the wrong word and it didn't get caught via simple spell checking.

I hope Dominique continues to write and gets herself a good editor as well. Despite the few editing issues, I enjoyed this book so much that I'm still giving it 5 stars.

[RB · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a bit of a stickler on some of the typos that were missed, I wondered how things concluded with Izzy and Delia's relationship, and if any resolution occurred between Deia and her mou, Stacey. That concludes my cons for the book. I was taken back at the twist that revealed itself as to who was in cahoots behind Deia's stolen phone, and I found myself secretly hoping she'd pursue criminal charges against Stacey and her soon to be ex Marcus. It was an engaging read, and I hope in future books the author develops such loose ends to tie everything together. Best of all, I enjoyed reading about how Izzy and Deia came around to resolve their interpersonal issues.

[Michael Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story that unfolds over 15 years. Izzy and Deia have a clash at their senior prom in 2010. Fast forward 15 years, Deia returns home after leaving her husband, and when she and Izzy meet again, sparks fly. The characters are well-developed, making for a compelling story. It's a great read for romance fans

[Donna J. Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Read

This small town romance is packed with betrayal, religious cruelty and judgement, but also forgiveness, kindness and reconciliation. Throw in romance, sacrifice, hot sex and love and we have the most delicious story. In fact, I never wanted the story to end. I hope you fall in love with all the characters the way I did!

[Kexx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Struggled at the beginning but the further I read the better the book became. Bordered on WTF (speed & behaviour of Marcus) but well worth a read.